The invention relates to an apparatus for emptying envelopes having at least two adjacent opened edges by means of facing suction devices, wherein at least one suction device is movable perpendicular to the envelope plane for separating the sides of the envelope.
In a known apparatus of the aforementioned type, the envelopes opened along one longitudinal edge are separated by two facing suction devices. To this end, at least one of the suction devices is movable perpendicular to the envelope plane. After separation, it is fundamentally possible to remove the envelope content. This removal can, for example, be made more difficult by the fact that the sheet of notepaper engages on one of the inner sides of the envelope or is also sucked up by one of the suction devices, the latter being particularly a problem with thin envelopes. Automatic removal of the contents of envelopes by means of a mechanical device is not possible with the known apparatus. See German Offenlegungsschrift No. 2,543,692.
In addition, an apparatus for processing envelopes is known having two facing suction devices for opening the envelope which is only slitted along one edge. One of the suction devices can be moved in the envelope plane relative to the other. This additional movement in the envelope plane takes place in the stationary state to permit adaptation to the envelope size and not when an envelope is located between the suction devices. The corresponding suction device is always moved as close as possible to the slit edge. See German Offenlegungsschrift No. 2,732,936.